I'm a Purple belt thinking of demoting myself to white belt

MajorTom

Purple Belt
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I know this sounds ridiculous. Let me explain...

I recently switched schools. I grew frustrated with the lack of decent training partners at my school. I was one of the highest ranking students, but aside from the coach, I was probably the best.

Anyway, I recently left the school that I started in. I went to a school in a nearby town and some of the guys are much better. There are more wrestlers. There are blue belts that give me trouble. I hang with and tap some of their good guys, but it seems the some of the guys are much better and belts are less easily given. I've tapped purples at this new school, but I've also been tapped by blues. I know that's just how it goes sometimes, but I wasn't really getting tapped by anyone at my old school. Aside from my coach who's a black belt.

I split with my old school on weird terms. The coach said I was a liability because I hurt a guy. I compete in MMA as well as BJJ and I was sparring with a pro fighter and leg kicked him. I kicked him really hard, but it's no harder than I've kicked him and a dozen other people in the past. His knee twisted and his ACL tore. I don't feel responsible because like I said, I've kicked him and everyone else there just as hard. We were going hard because he was preparing for a fight. I threw two leg kicks that landed right in the middle of his thigh. Then as I threw my 3rd, he stepped in to try to counter, but he was a little slow and my kick landed right above his knee and that's when the injury happened.

Point is, I don't feel I did anything wrong. The head coach didn't see what happened but decided that since I hurt him I'm too dangerous and I'm a liability and can't be trusted to train with these guys. I feel that I've outgrown the gym. I was a big fish in a small pond I guess.

The actual split was polite and he just said that he wishes me luck but I was too dangerous to train there.

The problem is... My girlfriend (whom I met at the gym) still trains there. She's working toward her blue belt.... So I swing by after my training to pick her up and I go inside to let her know I was there. She's changing in the locker room so I'm waiting and people that I've trained with there for years are saying hello to me. Striking up conversations. Asking what I'm up to now. I politely say that I'd rather not talk about why I left or where I'm training (out of respect for my former coach who I trained under for years). Anyway, after a few minutes of that, the owners wife comes out and tells me she wants to see me in her office. I'm thinking to myself that I don't really have any business with her in there and ask her what it is she wants to talk about. She says she needs to speak to me in private. I kind of knew where this was going at this point, but I indulged her. I head into the office and they tell me that since I'm not a student there anymore I shouldn't be in there talking to their students. They asked if I was training at another school and I told them it wasn't their business. They then say that one of their students came to them and saw pictures of me on my facebook at my new school so they know I'm training someplace else. I said "Since I was kicked out of this school and I wanted to continue training I had to go someplace else. What did they expect?" She said they didn't want me here and that I can't come to their school to talk to their students. I said that I just came in to get my girlfriend and she told me to call her next time.

Sorry for the rant. I'm still pissed about all that. The point is... Considering the fact that the belt levels are more legit at this new school and my former instructor and coach has apparently turned his back on me altogether.. I'm thinking of demoting myself to white belt. By which I mean burning the purple belt given to me by my old coach. At least in the gym. I want my new coach to give me promotions and assess my skills according to his criteria. Not fall back on my old coach's belt and say "Well, my old coach thought I was a purple!" or something... I feel like I fit in with this new schools blue belts but I want my new coach to decide.

Is it unconventional to do this? I try to be self-effacing and just take things in stride, but being told I can't train there anymore and that I have to wait in the parking lot to pick up my girlfriend is pretty harsh. A pathetic move on their part.

If they were more confident in their school, they wouldn't be so scared of losing students to my new school.
 
i say you burn it. punk rock!
 
I would listen to inside the Bjj podcast as they are going to be all over this.....
 
It's kind of hard to take anyone serious when they mention being "too dangerous" in their post....

But that's a pretty fucked situation especially if the sparring was at a mutual intensity. I wonder, however, if the injured party blamed you for going too hard or something of that nature to have such a strong negative response to someone that had been at the academy that long.

Oh and move your girl to the new school.
 
I think a Yelp review would be satisfactory :/
 
Agree with Superior. If this new school is better than take your girl to your new school. Problem solved.
 
Surely a dangerous guy like you should never wear a white belt. Maybe promote yourself to red. People associate red with danger so they will know how dangerous you are when you approach. This means you'll be able to avoid situations like this happening again.
Stay dangerous.
 
If you switched schools and were getting owned by whites then maybe, but sounds like you're purple standard at the new school so leave it. If you've been wearing a purple belt and all of a sudden start wearing a white, that will piss people off. Speak to your new coach and put your mind at rest.
 
sounds messed up, i was trained by a close friend for a while before he moved back to the uk, just me and him for the most part but he had been doing muay thai for like 20 years and bjj for a while to and did it at a school while his litte one did karate. So i always feel a bit weird going to a proper school because i dont have a real formal training or anything, anyways burn the belt and let new guy rank you or whatever it is they do
 
No you just sound like you have an ego problem. You were tapping out everyone at your old school and thus your ego was intact.

Now at your new school you are getting tapped by lower belts. Having a white belt on would alleviate the pressure and you would still be tapping out blue and purple belts. Wearing a white belt will do nothing but soften the blows to your ego.
 
The sad thing is a few years ago I would've called bullshit on the story.

Now I just think to myself "we got another one."

Wanna get sweet sweet justice? Give us the gym and coach name. >:-D

But seriously, outing unreasonable gyms is very similar to coming forward in a lot of crimes. Once you speak up you might find out that their are a lot of people victimized by the same person but remained silent.

P.S. keep your belt rank.
 
No you just sound like you have an ego problem. You were tapping out everyone at your old school and thus your ego was intact.

Now at your new school you are getting tapped by lower belts. Having a white belt on would alleviate the pressure and you would still be tapping out blue and purple belts. Wearing a white belt will do nothing but soften the blows to your ego.

What RoeJogan said. I have seen 2 black belts tap'd by blue belts in the last 6 months(1 here in Japan and one on video from the states). And you are worried because you got tapped by a couple of blue belts?
Just relax, keep the belt and press on with training. Oh, and move your girl. Who cares if she has to start over at a new school. Its about the Art, not the belt.
 
1. We are only seeing your side of the story about your school and there are 2 sides to each story. I would really like to hear from the instructor before I formed an opinion on this issue.

2. Going to white? And you have tapped purples at their school? Sounds like you are really counting gym wins.
 
I don't think you should demote yourself. You have been tapped by some blues, and so what? There are legit purples-browns-blacks tapped out by blues (and sometimes I bet even by whites in training), doesn't mean they start back to white. Regardless of this or the problems with your old instructor you put your time in the art and if what you say it's true you surely represent well enough your belt.
 
I would talk to the instructor at the new gym. Start by explaining (honestly, without exaggeration) that the guys here are much better than at your old school. You used to dominate everyone but here you get tapped by people you would expect to tap. That will flatter him, but it's the truth.

Then you tell him your thoughts, like you don't think it's fair to the other students to keep your purple belt, or you feel uncomfortable, or whatever your justification is. Most likely he'll say don't worry about it stay at purple, and he'll just wait longer to promote you until you've caught up. That's what happened when I came to my current school as a not-so-good blue belt. Or maybe he does the opposite and say sure, you can wear a blue belt here. And then you kind of got your wish. But don't just throw out your belt and start wearing a white belt, that would be kind of weird.
 
I would talk to the instructor at the new gym. Start by explaining (honestly, without exaggeration) that the guys here are much better than at your old school. You used to dominate everyone but here you get tapped by people you would expect to tap. That will flatter him, but it's the truth.

Then you tell him your thoughts, like you don't think it's fair to the other students to keep your purple belt, or you feel uncomfortable, or whatever your justification is. Most likely he'll say don't worry about it stay at purple, and he'll just wait longer to promote you until you've caught up. That's what happened when I came to my current school as a not-so-good blue belt. Or maybe he does the opposite and say sure, you can wear a blue belt here. And then you kind of got your wish. But don't just throw out your belt and start wearing a white belt, that would be kind of weird.

This is the best advice. Coincidentally it was the same advice I was going to give.
 
Dang
Sucky sit. I don't know what to say. Can you cancel your GFs contract? As that would fix a lot of the problems.
 
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